Governance leaders confront AI, geopolitics and culture shifts at GLC 2025

Global uncertainty, economic volatility and rapid technological change are reshaping the world, and governance and leadership have never mattered more. 

The 2025 Governance Leadership Conference brought together leaders, directors and governance professionals from across Australia to confront defining challenges and explore how organisations can adapt, transform and thrive in the years ahead. 

Opening the event, Ben Wyatt, Non-executive Director, Rio Tinto, Woodside, APM and Telethon, reminded delegates that “leadership is the key competitive advantage that you can bring in a changing, competitive and uncertain world.” His DLPA-sponsored address, chaired by Karlie Cremin, Chief Executive Officer, DLPA, set the tone for a day that explored how leaders can move beyond what they inherit and steer their organisations towards what they might become. 

That challenge was brought into sharp focus during the Diligent-sponsored fireside chat, chaired by Andrew Amos, Regional Vice President, Diligent APAC, where Kathryn Fagg AC, Non-executive Director, National Australia Bank, Djerriwarrh Investments Ltd and Medibank Private Ltd, noted, “You are a steward of the organisation. You have a responsibility to take this organisation forward, to make it better and bigger, but also knowing that you will have to hand it over to others to carry it forward.” 

The Regulators Panel, supported by OnBoard and chaired by Jayden Leming, Governance Solutions Expert, OnBoard, explored the evolving relationship between regulators and industry in today’s dynamic marketplace. Building on this, a Bellrock-sponsored session on global risks, chaired by James Ritchie FGIA, Practice Leader, Workplace and Enterprise Risk Management, Bellrock Benefits, highlighted the broader forces shaping business. Cathy Moloney, Vice President Australia, The Asia Group, emphasised, “You cannot think that defence and geopolitics is not affecting you, you have to understand them.”  

Expanding on this perspective, Afshin Molavi, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute & Founder, Emerging World Initiative, Johns Hopkins University (USA), delivered the international address later in the day, reminding delegates that “globalisation is a story of flows: flows of capital, flows of goods, flows of services, flows of data, flows of people.” 

Risk, resilience and productivity were also high on the agenda. Professor Alex Robson, Deputy Chair and Commissioner, Productivity Commission, cut through with the simple reminder: “Productivity is not about working harder or working longer. It is about working smarter.” Meanwhile, Dr Ian Opperman, Commonwealth Data Standards Chair for Digital ID and Consumer Data Right, warned of the risks ahead: “Complacency, complexity and climate change are the three greatest risks.” 

Technology and AI featured strongly across the program. In the Computershare-sponsored Company Secretaries Panel, chaired by Marnie Reid, CEO, Issuer Services AU&NZ, Computershare, Fiona Mead FGIA, Company Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance, CSL, stressed the need for directors to get closer to the business, while Craig Emery FGIA, Group Company Secretary, Telstra, emphasised the responsibility of boards: “Boards need to have a deep understanding of AI; they need to know for the business and the right questions to ask about it. Even if it is not being used in the boardroom, they still need to understand what is good to make decisions around.” 

In the LexisNexis-sponsored session on Generative AI, chaired by Veronica Rios, Director, Global Associations & Strategic Partnerships, LexisNexis, Gaby Carney, Senior Fellow, Strategic AI, Human Technology Institute, reinforced the importance of culture in this transformation: “Implement a responsible culture of AI. Build AI literacy so that people feel personally committed to being responsible and they will reinforce this with their peers.” Tim Trumper, Author, AI Game On, added a call to action: “Educate before change, get people learning.” 

The people challenge was also laid bare during the People Challenge session, chaired by Daniel Popovski, Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor, Governance Institute of Australia. Ann Sherry AO, Chancellor, Queensland University of Technology, Non-executive Director, National Australia Bank, observed, “We have an older group of leaders that are demonising AI. We collectively need to step up and stay with the world as the world moves forward.” Dr Vanessa Guthrie AO, Non-executive Director, Chancellor, Curtin University, reminded delegates that “culture is dynamic, it is not something that is defined, it is constantly moving. It shifts and morphs with the company. AI is just another input that will shift and shape the strategy and the culture.” 

From culture to climate, governance to geopolitics, the message was clear: the future is already here, and leaders must build the capabilities and frameworks to meet it head on. 

As the day closed, Katrina Horrobin, CEO, Governance Institute of Australia, thanked participants and reinforced the purpose of the gathering: to ensure governance professionals are equipped to lead through uncertainty and change, and to make another good decision.